KidneyTalk - An Online Radio Show By Renal Support Network

Pain can pose a significant challenge to those with kidney disease. Stephanie Johnstone is a lead social worker and consultant for the Clinical Innovations Team at Fresenius Medical Care North America. She sits down with Lori Hartwell to discuss the difficult time patients and physicians are having due to recent changes in pain management. Because opioid misuse has become a public health emergency, very careful consideration is now being made before any drug is prescribed. This can have a hard-hitting effect on those experiencing significant pain due to kidney disease. Listen in to this show to learn how to communicate with your care team to achieve the best pain management results, as well as other ways to manage pain without medication.

The Kidney Project is a national research initiative with a goal to create a small, surgically implanted, and free-standing bioartificial kidney to treat renal failure.RSN Founder and President Lori Hartwell catches up with Dr. Shuvo Roy who is a bioengineer professor at the University of California San Francisco to learn what is next for the Kidney Project and when clinical trials might begin. Dr. Shuvo Roy is passionate about this device that will mimic the kidneys and take the place of dialysis. Listen in to this exciting and hopeful show.

Remaining employed while enduring a chronic illness can increase one™s confidence and enhance their quality of life. So how do you keep your job once you learn that you have kidney disease or need to start dialysis? For eight years, Rachel Wright managed to attend school and later work full-time while on in-center dialysis. Listen in to hear her tips for success.

What if you could minimize your time on dialysis, or even avoid it altogether? Do you know that you can have a transplant before you even need dialysis? Preemptive listing is a possibility, but how do you qualify? How long must you wait? Dr. Rafael Villicana, a transplant nephrologist, explains what a preemptive transplant is and how you can get started.

Like Lori Hartwell, Jessica Fryszs journey with kidney disease has been a life-long experience. Diagnosed at 11 months old, Jessica was on dialysis by the time she was just a year old. While on dialysis for almost 29 years, Jessica studied to become a veterinary technician and now works as a medical assistant. Listen in to learn how she has overcome so much while maintaining an upbeat outlook.

You, like many of our listeners, may ask if you can travel while on dialysis. Yes you can! But better yet, have you thought about cruising? Scott Profitt, RN, is a dialysis nurse who gets to travel to exotic places and meet people all over the world " all while on the job. He knows how a dialysis cruise can spark the love of travel for those in need of dialysis. Listen in to hear his tips on how you can dialyze and still have a great, worry-free tropical vacation.

The big debate over marijuana and organ transplantation is cropping up across the country as cannabis use gains mainstream acceptance, medically and recreationally. How can marijuana affect one™s transplant evaluation? What are the unknowns for someone who needs a kidney or wants to be a kidney donor? Listen in to hear Transplant Nephrologist Dr. Rafael Villicana™s opinions on this controversial topic.

Addiction, and reaching out for recovery, is nothing to be ashamed of. So many people are willing to help if you just ask. When, as a young girl, Henriette Ivanans™ first kidney transplant failed, she turned to alcohol and pills. A second transplant, and more struggles with addiction, including two overdoses, followed. Henriette shares with Lori how she came to acknowledge her addiction and how she sought help to overcome it. Listen in to hear her incredible story of recovery, and her search for health and new strategies for how to deal with pain.

Mary Wu is going strong and full of life at 23 years post kidney transplant. She swims four or five times a week, so it seemed only natural for her to compete in the Transplant Games of America this past summer. The games are an extraordinary celebration of life and many donors, recipients, and their families look forward to attending them. Mary shares her own experience, and how her "Team Liberty" performed in the competition. Listen in to learn why, if given the chance, everyone should attend the games, even if only to observe.

Jacki Harris, RN, MSN, CCTC has worked as an RN and a kidney transplant coordinator and nurse for many years. She is now a liver transplant coordinator at Cedars Saini.

Vanessa Evans knows the secret to not letting kidney disease keep you from living the life you were meant to live. Being in charge makes her feel more at ease and in control of her dialysis treatments at home and on the road. The wife and mother of two active boys shares travel tips she learned from years on the road while on home hemodialysis. Listen in to hear how Vanessa expertly travels with her family and by herself with her NxStage dialysis machine in tow.

Bill Peckham has been on dialysis for twenty-eight years and still travels the world. He has been on Safari in Africa, gambled in Monte Carlo casinos and will be setting sail this fall on a chartered boat to the San Juan islands. Bill™s motto; Let™s see what I can do, let™s see how far I can take this,™ is helping him live the fullest life possible in spite of kidney failure. Listen in to hear his tips on getting the most out of life while on dialysis and how to keep the momentum going. Then go out and do it!

Bill Peckham, a long-term dialyzer and kidney disease advocate is an incredible example to people who are on dialysis. Like many who have just learned that their kidneys have failed and will need to start dialysis, Bill was very angry and depressed. He often hoped it would rain because he didn™t want to go outside. Bill shares how he turned his attitude around to live a full life. Bill™s unstoppable attitude is infectious. Listen in to hear Bill™s tips to getting the most out of life despite being on dialysis for twenty eight years.

RSN learned a lot about Bernadette McKnight from Flowers and Rocks, her beautiful essay now published on our website. Today Lori sits down with Bernadette to talk about her determination, courage and positive attitude. Bernadette shares insights on getting past feelings of despair and hopelessness, and how your family can become your greatest advocates.

Michael Fisher, MD, is a nephrologist, former Peace Corps physician and cancer survivor. Dr. Fisher shares with Lori what he has learned in his 40+ year career, from his patients, and from his own experience with a life-threatening illness. We hear what inspired Dr. Fisher to write Surviving Kidney Disease, his book that honors his patients and their families by featuring their stories of courage and resilience. The book includes a road map for prevention and discusses current innovations in the treatment of kidney disease.

Barbara Riddle carries on her son Brian™s legacy with the Facebook group he created: Dialysis Discussion Uncensored. Brian was diagnosed at the age of 22 months with nephropathic cystinosis; he passed away just before he turned forty. Throughout his life he was very goal oriented, as the successful Facebook group with more than 11,000 members proves. Barbara and three other admins moderate the very active group page daily. Listen in to hear how a public forum like Dialysis Discussion Uncensored can be a great educational tool for the general public as well as for people who have kidney disease.

Wilson Du is living proof that sometimes when looking for a hero you find one within yourself. At age of 34 he went to the doctor because of pains in ankles and knees which turned out to be gout. But to his surprise, he was also diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease and would need dialysis to live. He also learned that he was not eligible for a kidney transplant because of his weight. At 315 lbs. a kidney transplant was just not possible. Wheelchair bound and unable to exercise, Wilson took a first painful step outside. Taking a deep breath, he decided to choose life. He shares with Lori his incredible journey and how he transformed his life and health.

Fabry disease is an uncommon illness that can cause kidney failure. It is a genetic disease, and it affects men and women differently. Although it is rare, it is possible for kidney failure to be the result of undiagnosed Fabry disease. Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, Vice Dean, Research and Education Cedars-Sinai, fills us in on the details. He describes the classic symptoms of the disease, new treatments and therapies that are available even after the disease leads to kidney failure. In addition, Dr. Thadhani tells us who should get tested, and how you can volunteer to be screened in a clinical Fabry disease study.

Jessianna Saville, an RD and LEAP therapist truly believes in the power and positivity of focusing of what you can have that makes the renal diet more livable and more lovable. This KidneyTalk show is packed with so much information that is easy to understand and apply to your lifestyle. Listen in to learn how to think less about your diet in terms of restrictions to see all the foods you can have and how to work in the foods that you really love.

Celia Kanter's delightful attitude and energetic lifestyle are a such an inspiration. Celia is 77 years young and has been on dialysis for 40 years with no signs of slowing down. Amazingly, she has had the same fistula for the entire time. She Shares with Lori how she keeps busy, remains independent and keeps up her active lifestyle. She shares decades of wisdom on how she manages her fluids, her renal diet, medication regimen and staying active and employed.